Arts & Life, Film & Television

Valentine’s Day: Films for an evening at home

Valentine’s Day is a holiday that encompasses love and romance.
And it just so happens that there are many films about love and romance as well. For this Valentine’s Day, I have compiled a list of five films that cover a range of familiar Valentine’s Day topics: young love, adultery, love at first sight, and marriage. No, you will not find Gary Marshall’s Valentine’s Day on here — that would be too easy.
Therefore, I have provided you with some alternative films, and one clearly obvious but completely necessary choice.

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”
Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine is one of the most fun and unique films about love ever made. When Joel Barrish’s (Jim Carrey) ex-girlfriend (Kate Winslet) has her mind erased of his memory, he demands that his mind be erased as well. While at Lacuna Inc., Joel’s memories begin to be erased. However, he must live out each memory in his mind in order to fully forget them. As he experiences each memory, he realizes that he does not want to lose the memory of his ex-girlfriend. So he begins to run and hide within his own mind. While this film is an extremely complex science fiction film, it is also a touching and realistic portrayal of love and romance. It is not the happiest of films, but it is brutally honest and will teach you to appreciate the one you love.

“Before Sunrise”

Richard Linklater’s first film in his Before trilogy introduces us to two young people, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy). The two meet while on a train and immediately strike up a connection with one another. They then decide to spend an entire day in Paris together before each departs back to their respective homes. What follows is a beautifully honest portrayal of young love and growing up. The two simply walk through Paris and have intimate and personal conversations with one another about life, love and fate. If you want to be reminded of a time when you first met your significant other or are there right now and want to see how things can turn out, check out this beautiful film.

“WALL-E”

Pixar’s “WALL-E” is a wonderful animated film that is part cautionary science fiction and part romantic comedy. While the science fiction is present, the bulk of the film centers on the love story between two robots, WALL-E and EVE. The innocent and curious WALL-E goes through all of the stops in order to win EVE’s love, a robot searching for plant life for a space colony wishing to repopulate Earth. Taking inspiration from the best works of romantic goofballs like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, director Andrew Stanton crafts one of the most touching love stories of all films. If you want a romantic film that depicts love at first sight with a hilarious, yet charming romantic lead, you and your significant other will love this film.

“In the Mood for Love”
So this is definitely the bleakest film on this list. However, if you are in a relationship with your significant other, this is a powerful film to watch about love, marriage, and adultery. When Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung) and Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung) discover that one another’s spouses are cheating on them, the two strike up an unusual relationship without sex or physical love. Instead, the two meet in secret and strike up an incredible connection with one another. This great Chinese film is ranked as one of the greatest films of all time, according to Martin Scorsese and Sight and Sound, thanks to its powerful leads, beautiful score, and intense depiction of love and romance.

“The Notebook”

How could I resist the go-to Valentine’s Day film? I love The Notebook! This is a great romance film that features four amazing actors. Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams are great as the young couple, Noah Calhoun and Allie Hamilton, and legendary actors James Garner and Gena Rowlands give great performances as the two elderly leads. The film tells the story of a young man and woman’s tale of romance that spans through their young adult lives. What helps elevate this film over every other Nicholas Sparks adapted film are its lead actors. You have two legendary actors and two up-and-coming actors who give it their all in this film. Therefore, no matter how lousy, cheesy or overdone the story is, the actors are what draw you in. You and your significant other will definitely like this story of love and romance.

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